JPH0746303B2 - Coordinate input device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial application] The present invention relates to a coordinate input device, and more particularly, to detecting elastic waves transmitted from a pointing point with a sensor and determining the coordinates of the pointing point from the arrival time of the elastic wave. A coordinate input device for obtaining

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, the coordinate detection method described above is known to have an advantage that it can be used comparatively inexpensively and that a vibration transmission plate as an input tablet can be transparently configured so that it can be used in combination with an indicator. Has been.

FIG. 2 shows the configuration of a conventional coordinate input device that mediates vibration transmission.

In the apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the input tablet including the vibration transmitting plate 8 is used to input the coordinates by the vibration pen 3, and the input tablet is arranged so as to be superimposed on the input tablet according to the input coordinate information.
The input image is displayed on the display 11 composed of a CRT.

In the figure, reference numeral 8 is a vibration transmission plate made of acrylic, glass plate or the like, and transmits the vibration transmitted from the vibration pen 3 to the vibration sensor 6 provided at three corners thereof. In this embodiment, the coordinate of the vibration pen 3 on the vibration transmission plate 8 is detected by measuring the transmission time of the ultrasonic vibration transmitted from the vibration pen 3 to the vibration sensor 6 via the vibration transmission plate 8.

In order to prevent the vibration transmitted from the vibrating pen 3 from being reflected at the peripheral portion and returning toward the central portion, the vibration transmitting plate 8 is provided with an antireflection material 7 made of silicon rubber or the like at its peripheral portion. It is supported.

The vibration transmission plate 8 is a CRT (or a liquid crystal display, etc.),
The vibrating pen 3 is placed on the display 11 that can display dots.
The dot display is performed at the position traced by. That is, a dot display is performed at a position on the display 11 corresponding to the detected coordinates of the vibrating pen 3, and the image composed of elements such as points and lines input by the vibrating pen 3 is written as if it were written on paper. It appears after the path of the vibrating pen, as if it had been done.

In addition, according to such a configuration, a menu is displayed on the display 11 and an input method such as selecting the menu item with the vibrating pen or displaying a prompt to bring the vibrating pen 3 into contact with a predetermined position is used. It can also be used.

The vibration pen 3 that transmits ultrasonic vibrations to the vibration transmission plate 8 is
It has a vibrator 4 composed of a piezoelectric element or the like inside, and transmits the ultrasonic vibration generated by the vibrator 4 to the vibration transmission plate 8 via a horn portion 5 having a sharp tip.

The electric drive signal applied to the vibrating pen 3 is converted into mechanical ultrasonic vibration by the vibrator 4 and transmitted to the diaphragm 8 via the horn unit 5.

The vibration frequency of the vibrator 4 is selected to a value capable of generating a plate wave on the vibration transmission plate 8 such as acrylic or glass. Further, when the vibrator is driven, a vibration mode in which the vibrator 4 mainly vibrates in the direction perpendicular to the vibration transmission plate 8 is selected. Further, by setting the vibration frequency of the vibrator 4 as the resonance frequency of the vibrator 4, it is possible to perform efficient vibration conversion.

The elastic wave transmitted to the vibration transmitting plate 8 as described above is a plate wave, and has an advantage that it is less susceptible to scratches and obstacles on the surface of the vibration transmitting plate 8 as compared to surface waves.

The vibration sensor 6 provided at the corner of the vibration transmission plate 8 is also composed of a mechanical-electrical conversion element such as a piezoelectric element. The output signals of the three vibration sensors 6 are input to the waveform detection circuit 6 and converted into detection signals that can be processed by the arithmetic control circuit 1 in the subsequent stage. The arithmetic control circuit 1 performs the measurement process of the vibration transmission time, and detects the coordinate position of the vibration pen 3 on the vibration transmission plate 8.

The detected coordinate information of the vibrating pen 3 is processed in the arithmetic and control circuit 1 according to the output system of the display 11. That is, the arithmetic control circuit controls the output operation of the display 11 via the display drive circuit 10 based on the input coordinate information. At this time, the joint portion between the vibration transmission plate 8 and the vibration sensor 6 is fixed by the pressure contact spring urged toward the vibration transmission plate, as shown in the detailed view of the conventional example of FIG. At the same time, the pressure contact spring is electrically connected to one electrode of the vibration sensor 6. The other pole of the vibration sensor 6 is
A lead is directly attached by soldering from a side surface electrode portion which is partially extended from the electrode surface existing on the surface in contact with the vibration transmission plate to the side surface of the cylinder of the vibration sensor 6, or
As shown in the figure, the side surface electrode portion of the side surface portion of the vibration sensor 6 is electrically connected by pressing the contact member in a direction parallel to the circumference of the vibration sensor 6.

[Problems that the invention is trying to solve]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, soldering is used to take out the electrodes of the vibration sensor 6, or the contact fittings are pressure-welded by aiming at a part of the circumferential side surface of the vibration sensor 6, so that the vibration sensor 6 having a cylindrical shape is used. When a force such as rotation is applied, the lead of the soldering part may be removed or the vibration sensor 6 may rotate, which may cause the side electrode to be displaced and the conduction between the vibration sensor 6 and the metal contact to be lost. It was Further, even when the conductive state is maintained, when soldering is performed, since the metal solder is attached to a part of the vibration sensor 6, the vibration sensor 6 picks up the desired vibration and the originally desired vibration is obtained. When the vibration sensor 6 itself whose resonance frequency is adjusted to pick up the vibration receives the vibration, the vibration sensor 6 has a frequency characteristic different from the desired vibration to be picked up depending on the amount and position of the attached solder, and the reception gain greatly varies. Was occurring.

Further, when a contact metal fitting is pressed against the side surface of the cylindrical vibration sensor 6 to conduct electricity, a force is applied to a part of the cylindrical vibration sensor, which causes the vibration sensor 6 to tilt,
There was a drawback that the vibration sensor could not perform stable and accurate detection, such as displacement of the mounting position.

[Means (and Action) for Solving Problems]

According to the present invention, the side surface electrode existing in the cylindrical vibration sensor is electrically connected by using the wire-shaped contact that surrounds the side surface of the cylinder circumferentially without applying unnecessary force to the vibration sensor. This enables reliable and stable reception of vibrations.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on embodiments shown in the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partial detailed view of a mounting portion of a vibration sensor for receiving a vibration wave propagating on a vibration transmission plate in a coordinate input device adopting the present invention.

The overall configuration of the coordinate input device other than that shown in FIG.
It is assumed that it is completely the same as the conventional configuration shown in FIG.
Further, in FIG. 1, members which are the same as or correspond to those of the conventional example are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a portion different from the conventional example shown in FIG. 3 is a contact for taking out a signal from the vibration sensor 6, and in this embodiment, a columnar shape is provided at a position where the side electrode of the vibration sensor 6 exists. Wires are arranged so as to surround the outer circumference of the vibration sensor 6, and the inner diameter of the spirally wound wire is made slightly smaller than the diameter of the cylindrical vibration sensor 6 in a natural state, so that the outer circumference of the vibration sensor 6 is evenly attached. I can do things. or,
Since the contact is a wire, the force exerted on the vibration sensor 6 by the contact of the contact with the vibration sensor 6 is not at all against the force that the pressure contact spring stably presses the vibration sensor 6 against the vibration transmitting material. be equivalent to. With such a configuration, by adding a contact electrode made of a wire rod to the conventional mounting member for the vibration sensor 6 without touching it, extremely stable vibration can be detected, and accurate and stable coordinates can be detected. It can be used as an input device.

[Other Examples]

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, only one end of the contact electrode made of the wire is used in combination with the member which has been conventionally used. However, as shown in FIG. A step having the same size as that of the sensor holding member 14 is formed by extending the other end of the contact 19.
By passing through the newly provided contact foot hole 20 and fixing the tip, the contact 19 can be securely fixed, and therefore the inclination of the vibration sensor 6 can be surely prevented, and more stable vibration detection Is possible.

In addition, the contact foot holes 20 added in the above-described embodiment
As shown in the top view of FIG. 6, by forming an arc-shaped elongated hole centering on the center of the vibration sensor 6, the contact 19 and the vibration sensor 6 are combined, incorporated into the vibration sensor holding member 14, and further wired. Even after performing, the contact 19 and the vibration sensor 6 can be easily attached and detached by moving the foot of the contact 19 on the elongated hole side around the center of the vibration sensor 6.

〔The invention's effect〕

As described above, the signal wire of the vibration sensor 6, which has been conventionally formed by soldering or pressure contact with a contact member such as a metal piece, is taken out in the form of a coil spring having a wire rod, and the cylindrical vibration sensor 6 has an inner diameter portion. By placing the side electrode part in contact with the clamping force of the spiral spring to make it conductive, it is possible to take out the signal line from the vibration sensor that is strong against rotation of the vibration sensor and has a small inclination. It has the effect of making a stable coordinate input device that is resistant to impact.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial detailed view showing electrode extraction of a vibration sensor according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram of a coordinate input device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a view showing electrode extraction of a conventional vibration sensor, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing extraction of electrodes of a conventional vibration sensor, FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another embodiment according to the present invention. Here, 6 is a vibration sensor, 8 is a vibration transmission plate, 14 is a sensor holding member, 19 is a contact, 20 is a contact foot hole, and 15 is a pressure contact spring.

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of front page (72) Inventor Kiyoshi Kaneko 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Yuichiro Yoshimura 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Incorporated (72) Inventor Noriyuki Suzuki 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc. (72) Inventor Jun Tanaka 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A vibrating pen having a vibration generating means, a vibration transmitting plate for transmitting vibration generated by bringing the vibrating pen into contact with each other, and a substantially cylindrical vibration sensor provided in contact with the vibrating plate. Then, in the coordinate input device that determines the coordinates from the transmission delay time of the vibration to the vibration sensor, by using a linear contact of a spiral spring surrounding the cylindrical shape of the vibration sensor, it is extended to the side surface of the cylinder. A coordinate input device, which is electrically connected to a contact of an electrical connection portion of the vibration sensor.